The Andhra Pradesh Public Service Commission has issued Notification No. 20/2026, dated 13 October 2026, for direct recruitment to 196 posts of Assistant Statistical Officer in the A.P. Economics & Statistical Subordinate Service. Online applications opened on 13 October and close at 11:59 PM on 2 November 2026.
Three features of this notification decide who can realistically compete for it.
Only 7 of the 196 posts are open competition. This is a zonal post, and under the Presidential Order 2025 the local reservation is 95%. That leaves 189 posts tied to a specific zone and just 7 genuinely open to any candidate in the state. Which zone your schooling or residence places you in matters more than almost anything else in this notification.
Statistics is non-negotiable. A plain degree will not do. You either took Statistics as a main subject, or you took Mathematics, Economics, Commerce or Computer Science as a main subject with Statistics as a paper in at least one year of the degree. The qualification is reckoned as on 13 October 2026, the date of this detailed notification.
There is a second, separate test after the written exam. The Computer Proficiency Test is a practical paper with its own pass mark. Clearing the written examination does not finish the job.
Dates
| Brief notification | 15 September 2026 |
| Detailed notification | 13 October 2026 |
| Online applications open | 13 October 2026 |
| Last date to apply and pay fee | 2 November 2026, 11:59 PM |
| Age reckoned as on | 1 July 2026 |
| Qualification reckoned as on | 13 October 2026 |
| Written examination (CBRT) | Will be intimated later |
Zone-wise vacancies
The full zone table with district lists is in the Vacancy Details panel above. The open/local split is where the real information is.
| Zone | Open | Local | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zone-I | 01 | 30 | 31 |
| Zone-II | 01 | 20 | 21 |
| Zone-III | 01 | 27 | 28 |
| Zone-IV | 02 | 39 | 41 |
| Zone-V | 01 | 38 | 39 |
| Zone-VI | 01 | 35 | 36 |
| Total | 07 | 189 | 196 |
Zone-IV (Guntur, Palnadu, Bapatla, Prakasam, SPSR Nellore) carries the most posts at 41; Zone-II (ASR, East Godavari, Kakinada, Konaseema) the fewest at 21.
Category-wise vacancies
| Category | Posts | Category | Posts |
|---|---|---|---|
| OC | 83 | BC-A | 17 |
| SC-I | 02 | BC-B | 16 |
| SC-II | 12 | BC-C | 03 |
| SC-III | 13 | BC-D | 12 |
| ST | 13 | BC-E | 07 |
| EWS | 18 | Total | 196 |
Note that the Scheduled Caste posts are split across the three sub-categories SC-I, SC-II and SC-III rather than being shown as a single SC block. Horizontal reservation for Women, Persons with Benchmark Disabilities and Meritorious Sports Persons applies on top of these figures, under Rules 22, 22(A) and 22(B) of the A.P. State and Subordinate Service Rules, 1996.
Eligibility
Age: 18 to 44 years as on 1 July 2026, under Rule 12 of the APS&SS Rules 1996 read with G.O.Ms.No.187, G.A. (Ser-A) Dept., dated 14 September 2026. Relaxations take the effective ceiling to 49 for SC, ST, BC and EWS candidates and 54 for Persons with Benchmark Disabilities — see the Age Relaxation panel for the full list.
Qualification: a Bachelor's Degree, by one of five routes:
- Degree with Statistics as one of the main subjects; or
- Degree with Mathematics as a main subject, with Statistics as a paper in one, two or all three years; or
- Degree with Economics as a main subject, with Statistics as a paper in one, two or all three years; or
- Degree with Commerce as a main subject, with Statistics as a paper in one, two or all three years; or
- Degree with Computer Science as a main subject, with Statistics as a paper in one, two or all three years.
If you hold a qualification you believe is equivalent rather than one of those listed, you must produce the relevant Government Order to the Commission within 10 days of the last date for applications. Miss that window and the application is rejected.
Local candidature
Because 189 of the 196 posts are zone-local, this section is worth reading carefully. A local candidate for a zone is one who:
- studied in an educational institution in that zone for at least four consecutive academic years ending with the year in which they appeared for Class VII or its equivalent; or
- failing that, studied for at least seven years up to and including the year of Class VII, in which case the zone where the maximum part of those seven years was spent decides candidature; or
- did not study at all during that period, in which case residence over the same period is used instead.
Claims based on study need a certificate from the institution. Claims based on residence need a certificate from a Revenue Department officer not below the rank of Mandal Revenue Officer. If you lived in more than one mandal during the relevant period, you need separate certificates from each.
Candidates who migrated from Telangana to Andhra Pradesh between 2 June 2014 and 1 June 2024 must obtain a Local Status Certificate from the competent authority and produce it at verification.
Fee
| Category | Processing fee | Examination fee | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| General candidates | Rs. 250 | Rs. 80 | Rs. 330 |
| SC, ST, BC, PwBD, Ex-Servicemen | Rs. 250 | Nil | Rs. 250 |
| White Card holders (A.P. residents) | Rs. 250 | Nil | Rs. 250 |
| Unemployed youth (G.O.Ms.No.439) | Rs. 250 | Nil | Rs. 250 |
The Rs. 250 processing fee is payable by everybody; only the Rs. 80 examination fee is ever waived. Candidates from other states, apart from PwBD and Ex-Servicemen, get neither the fee exemption nor any reservation.
Exam pattern
| Paper | Subject | Questions | Duration | Marks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paper-I | General Studies & Mental Ability | 150 | 150 min | 150 |
| Paper-II | Subject | 150 | 150 min | 150 |
| Total | 300 | |||
Negative marking is one third of the marks for that question — steeper than the one fourth most central recruitments use. On a 1-mark question that is 0.33 off per wrong answer, so three wrong guesses wipe out a correct one.
Minimum qualifying marks in the written examination are 40% for OC, EWS, Sportspersons and Ex-Servicemen, 35% for Backward Classes, and 30% for SC, ST and PwBD. The notification adds plainly that merely securing the minimum does not confer any right to selection.
Computer Proficiency Test
| Test | Duration | Max marks | SC/ST/PwBD | BC | OC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Proficiency in Office Automation | 60 min | 100 | 30 | 35 | 40 |
This is a practical paper, not a multiple-choice one, and it is taken only by candidates provisionally shortlisted after the written examination. The syllabus runs from computer fundamentals and operating systems through word processing, spreadsheets and presentations to internet usage and e-governance.
Examination centres
The CBRT will be held at four centres only: Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada, Tirupati and Ananthapuramu. You may give three preferences, but the Commission reserves the right to allot any centre depending on the availability of systems and other resources.
How to apply
- Go to psc.ap.gov.in. If you are applying for the first time, complete the One Time Profile Registration (OTPR) to get an OTPR ID. Fill it carefully — the Commission does not take responsibility for candidate errors.
- Log in with your OTPR ID and password and open the application for Notification 20/2026.
- Complete the form, choose your three examination centre preferences and upload what is asked for.
- Pay the fee online and save the receipt.
Completing OTPR is not an application. Candidates have lost posts over exactly this misunderstanding — the OTPR profile is only a login, and the post-specific application for 20/2026 must be submitted separately before the deadline.
Keep the mobile number and email ID registered in OTPR active throughout. All further communication, including OTPs, goes there, and the Commission treats its website as final for all correspondence.